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February,  1923 


Extension  Circular  No.  136 


H 


Nr 

It 


N.  C.  AGRICULTURAL  EXTENSION  SERVICE 

OF  THE 

STATE  COLLEGE  AND 

STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE  COOPERATING 

B.  W.  KILGORE,  Director 

RALEIGH 


Growing  Red  Clover 

8.  C.  OdUck. 


Distributed  in  Furtherance  of  the  Acts  of  Congress  of  May  8  and  June  30,  1914 


JOINT  COMMITTEE  FOR  AGRICULTURAL  WORK 


Governor  Cameron  Morrison _ _ _ Raleigh 

W.  C.  Riddick _ Raleigh 

W.  A.  Graham _ Raleigh 

R.  L.  Woodard _ Pamlico 

Clarence  Poe _ Raleigh 

A.  T.  McCallom _ Red  Springs 

C.  C.  Wright _ Hunting  Creek 

O.  L.  Clark _ Clarkton 

T.  T.  Thorne _ Rocky  Mount 

C.  W.  Gold _ Greensboro 

J.  F.  Diggs _ Rockingham 


Growing  Red  Clover 

By  E.  C.  BLAIR,  Extension  Agronomist 

Red  clover  has  long  been  an  important  crop  in  Central  and  Western 
North  Carolina.  It  ranks  among  the  first  as  a  good  crop  for  hay, 
for  soil  improvement,  and  for  use  as  a  cover  crop.  It  has  the  added 
advantages  of  requiring  very  little  labor  in  sowing ;  and  of  remaining 
on  the  land  two  years  instead  of  one,  yielding  good  returns  both  years. 
Its  disadvantages  are  that  it  is  rather  particular  in  its  soil  require¬ 
ments,  that  the  seed  must  be  sown  in  just  the  right  way,  to  secure  a 
good  stand,  and  that  weeds  greatly  damage  the  crop  under  certain 
conditions. 

On  fertile  soil,  well  limed,  one  and  one-half  to  two  tons  of  hay  per 
acre  may  usually  be  expected  at  each  cutting.  The  hay  is  fine  in  tex¬ 
ture  and  quality,  so  that  livestock  will  eat  the  whole  of  it.  It  ranks 
high  in  food  value,  containing  12.3  percent  protein,  31.1  percent  car¬ 
bohydrates,  and  3.3  percent  fat. 

Since  red  clover  is  grown  for  soil  improvement,  it  is  of  interest  to 
know  that  each  ton  of  the  dry  hay  contains  41.8  pounds  of  nitrogen, 
8.6  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  41.6  pounds  of  potash.  If  the  soil 
is  properly  inoculated  most  of  the  nitrogen  in  the  hay  will  have 
come  from  the  air.  When  turned  under,  each  ton  of  hay  will  add 
41.8  pounds  of  nitrogen  to  the  soil,  or  the  equivalent  of  278  pounds 
of  nitrate  of  soda.  The  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  in  the  plant  were 
taken  from  the  soil,  but  are  returned  in  a  form  readily  available 
for  future  crops.  In  addition  to  this,  the  soil  receives  a  large  amount 
of  organic  matter. 

Leaving  out  the  question  of  plant  food,  organic  matter  is  of  prime 
importance  for  its  mechanical  effect  on  the  soil.  By  making  it  more 
porous,  organic  matter  helps  to  prevent  soil  washing,  as  more  water 
can  sink  into  the  soil.  This  is  of  untold  benefit  to  crops  in  dry  weather. 
Organic  matter  helps  to  prevent  heavy  soils  from  running  together 
and  baking  and  permits  them  to  be  more  easily  worked.  Organic 
matter  is  also  constantly  being  burned  up  by  the  action  of  sunlight 
on  the  soil. 

Most  North  Carolina  soils,  when  first  cleared,  have  a  good  supply 
of  organic  matter,  but  because  of  the  cropping  systems  followed  in 
which  too  much  attention  is  paid  to  immediate  returns,  and  not 
enough  to  keeping  plenty  of  this  substance  in  the  soil,  the  supply 
grows  less  each  year.  Some  farmers  make  an  effort  to  revive  depleted 
soils  by  using  larger  amounts  of  commercial  fertilizer,  but  with  poor 
results.  A  system  of  rotation  that  includes  crops  for  turning  into  the 


4 


Extension  Circular  No.  136 


land,  and  the  use  of  fertilizers  judiciously  in  connection  with  the 
rotation  must  be  followed  if  the  soils  are  to  be  improved,  or  even  main¬ 
tained  in  their  present  state  of  productiveness. 

HOW  THE  CROP  GROWS 

Bed  clover  is  a  biennial  legume,  and  one  of  the  true  clovers. 
The  seed  may  be  sown  either  in  the  fall  or  spring.  Each  plant  makes 
an  abundance  of  tine,  erect  stems,  coming  out  from  the  crown  of  the 
plant,  at  the  ground.  The  stems  grow  from  one  to  two  feet  high,  or 
even  higher.  The  plant  produces  considerable  foliage.  The  leaves 
consist  of  three  leaflets,  dark  green  in  color,  with  an  irregular  spot  of 
lighter  green  in  the  center  of  each.  The  flowers  are  pink,  and  are 
borne  in  heads  at  the  ends  of  the  stems.  The  roots  penetrate  deeply 
into  the  soil. 

There  are  two  varieties :  Themedium  red,  and  the  mammoth  or 
sapling.  The  two  are  similar  in  general  appearance,  the  main  differ¬ 
ence  being  that  the  mammoth  is  larger,  and  later  in  maturity.  It  will 
thrive  on  poorer  soil  than  will  the  medium  red.  Owing  to  its  lateness, 
it  makes  a  poor  second  crop. 

Bed  clover  remains  on  the  land  through  two  summers,  on  rich  soil 
it  yields  a  good  crop  of  hay  late  in  the  first  summer.  This  is  especially 
true  of  clover  sown  in  the  fall.  On  ordinary  land  the  growth  is  small 
the  first  year,  and  there  is  not  much  to  cut  but  weeds.  However,  they 
should  be  removed;  because  they  take  moisture  needed  by  the  young 
clover  plants,  and  in  order  to  have  a  clean  crop  of  hay  the  second  year. 
During  the  second  year  red  clover  makes  two  crops.  The  first  matures 
about  June  1st.  This  is  the  main  hay  crop.  The  second  crop  ripens 
about  August  1st,  and  makes  about  the  same  amount  of  growth  as 
the  first  crop.  It  is  objectionable  for  hay,  in  that  it  causes  salivation 
of  livestock.  This  is  fortunate,  for  the  second  crop  is  therefore 
usually  turned  under  for  soil  improvement,  instead  of  being  taken  off. 
It  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  the  first  and  second 
crops  are  both  removed,  there  will  be  no  improvement  of  the  soil. 
A  crop  must  be  plowed  in  if  the  supply  of  nitrogen  and  organic  matter 
in  the  soil  is  to  be  increased.  The  second  crop  is  also  the  principal 
source  of  seed,  and  is  a  good  honey  crop.  Where  a  large  acreage  is 
to  be  sown  for  hay,  it  is  well  to  sow  part  of  it  to  mammoth  clover, 
so  as  to  lengthen  the  haying  season.  If  seed  are  saved  at  home,  only 
one  variety  should  be  grown  on  the  farm;  otherwise  the  seed  of  the 
two  will  become  mixed. 

Being  a  legume,  red  clover  can  feed  on  nitrogen  from  the  air  if 
inoculated  with  the  proper  bacteria.  In  many  sections  of  North 
Carolina,  clover  has  been  grown  so  extensively  that  these  bacteria  are 
always  present  in  the  soil.  Where  there  is  any  doubt  of  their  pres- 


Geowing  Red  Clover 


o 


ence,  the  bacteria  should  be  supplied.  This  may  be  done  by  means  of 
commercial  cultures,  or  by  using  soil  from  a  field  known  to  be  inocu¬ 
lated.  The  same  bacteria  that  inoculates  red  clover  will  inoculate 
crimson,  alsike,  or  white  clovers. 

SOILS 

Red  clover  does  best  on  a  fairly  heavy  soil,  and  is  grown  most 
extensively  on  the  red  clays  and  clay  loams  of  our  Piedmont  Section. 
However,  good  results  are  frequently  obtained  on  sandy  loam  soils. 
The  soil  should  be  of  moderate  fertility,  or  better.  Very  poor,  worn 
out  soil  should  be  improved  by  means  of  soy  beans,  cowpeas  or  rye 
before  being  sown  to  red  clover.  In  general,  land  should  be  rich 
enough  to  produce  20  to  25  bushels  of  corn  per  acre  if  red  clover 
is  to  succeed  on  it. 

ACID  SOILS 

Many  fields  have  made  good  crops  of  clover  a  few  times ;  then  each 
succeeding  crop  has  become  poorer  until  finally  there  is  a  complete 
crop  failure.  This  is  usually  because  the  repeated  growing  of  clover 
has  exhausted  the  lime  supply  of  the  soil.  Red  clover  will  tolerate 
less  soil  acidity  than  most  of  our  crops.  The  turning  under  of  the  sec¬ 
ond  crop  of  clover  adds  organic  acids  to  the  soil ;  which  are  neutralized 
by  lime  in  the  soil  until  that  lime  is  exhausted.  Clover  also  feeds  more 
heavily  on  lime  than  most  crops,  which  hastens  the  exhaustion  of 
the  lime. 

THE  NEED  OF  LIME 

The  length  of  time  that  red  clover  can  be  grown  on  a  given  field 
without  liming  depends  on  several  factors.  The  amount  of  lime  nat¬ 
urally  present  in  the  soil  has  most  to  do  with  it.  Some  types  of  soil, 
such  as  the  black  jack  (Iredell)  and  deep  red  clay  (Mecklenburg  and 
Davidson)  soils  of  the  Piedmont  section,  carry  a  rather  high  content 
of  lime,  which  makes  them  specially  adapted  to  red  clover.  Experience 
has  shown  however,  that  in  course  of  tie  the  lime  supply  of  even  these 
soils  becomes  exhausted  and  the  clover  fails.  Some  farmers  use  liberal 
amounts  of  basic  slag,  which  contains  forty  per  cent  quick  lime,  as  a 
source  of  pdiosphoric  acid.  The  lime  in  this  material  helps  greatly  in 
growing  clover.  Recently  other  phosphatic  fertilizers  containing  iime 
have  been  put  on  the  market.  They,  as  well  as  basic  slag,  seem  to  give 
good  results  in  neutralizing  soil  acids;  but  at  present  prices  moie 
phosphoric  acid  and  more  lime  may  be  obtained  for  a  given  amount  of 
money  by  buying  16  percent  acid  phosphate  and  ground  limestone. 
The  results  are  usually  better  because  more  lime  will  be  applied  to 
each  acre  when  limestone  is  used.  Stable  manure  is  often  helpful  in 
getting  a  stand  of  clover  where  lime  is  not  used.  A  rich  soil  will  ma  e 


6 


Extension  Circular  No.  136 


a  better  crop  of  clover  without  lime  than  one  of  moderate  fertility. 
The  same  soil,  limed,  will  make  a  much  larger  crop.  As  we  grow 
clover  partly  for  soil  improvement,  it  is  better  to  lime  ordinary  land 
and  grow  clover  there  than  to  grow  it  on  rich  land  without  lime. 

If  a  good  application  of  ground  limestone  at  the  rate  of  one  or  two 
tons  per  acre  is  made  where  clover  has  failed,  the  next  crop  is  usually 
much  better  than  the  field  has  ever  produced  before.  The  value  of 
lime  has  been  proven  hundreds  of  times  by  liming  part  of  a  field  and 
leaving  the  other  part  unlimed,  then  sowing  clover.  Figures  1  and 
2  show  results  obtained  at  the  Piedmont  Branch  Station  Farm  near 
Statesville,  N.  C.,  in  a  test  of  this  kind. 

In  general,  a  good  application  of  lime  will  double  the  yield  of  red 
clover.  Not  only  will  it  grow  ranker,  but  the  stand  will  be  better 
because  the  crop  will  have  sufficient  vigor  to  keep  the  weeds  choked 
out.  It  is  best  to  apply  the  lime  six  months  to  one  year  before  sowing 
the  seed,  as  it  then  has  plenty  of  time  to  neutralize  acids  in  the  soil. 
If  clover  is  to  be  sown  on  small  grain  in  the  spring,  lime  may  be 
applied  the  preceding  fall  while  preparing  the  ground  for  the  grain ; 
or  it  may  be  put  on  while  getting  ready  for  corn,  or  whatever  crop 
precedes  the  small  grain. 

In  the  long  run  it  will  be  necessary  to  lime  any  soil  where  red  clover 
is  regularly  grown.  The  lime  should  be  applied  at  least  once  in  each 
rotation.  The  initial  application  should  usually  be  one  to  two-  tons  of 
ground  limestone  per  acre.  Follow  this  with  one  ton  every  three 
years,  or  1  1-2  tons  or  more  every  five  years.  A  definite  place  should 
be  had  in  the  rotation  for  applying  the  limestone.  As  before  stated, 
the  best  time  for  this  is  from  six  months  to  a  year  before  sowing  the 
clover  seed.  The  cost  of  liming  should  not  be  charged  entirely  to  the 
clover  crop,  for  the  lime  will  directly  benefit  any  other  legumes  grown 
in  the  rotation.  On  limed  land  the  second  crop  of  clover  will  be 
larger,  and  this  should  be  turned  under  for  soil  improvement.  In 
this  way  the  lime  will  indirectly  benefit  all  crops  grown. 

HOW  TO  FERTILIZE 

It  should  not  be  understood  from  the  above  that  lime  can  take  the 
place  of  fertilizers,  for  clover  or  any  other  crop.  We  must  still  supply 
the  important  plant  foods,  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash. 

Although  red  clover  is  a  legume,  it  needs  nitrogen  supplied  either 
by  stable  manure  or  commercial  fertilizer,  when  sown  on  poor  soils. 
This  will  give  it  some  nitrogen  to  feed  upon  while  the  roots  are  becom¬ 
ing  established,  and  before  it  can  take  nitrogen  from  the  air.  Many 
a  stand  of  clover  has  been  starved  out  through  lack  of  nitrogen 
during  this  period.  Fertile  soils  contain  enough  nitrogen  to-  start  the 
clover  off,  and  none  need  be  applied  to  them. 


7 


Growing  Red  Clover 


Fig.  1. 
failure. 


Where  red  clover  was  sown 
Iredell  Test  Farm,  Statesville, 


without  liming. 
N.  C.,  1920. 


Note  almost  total 


Fig.  2.  Red  clover  on  same  field  as  Fig.  1,  but  with 
acre.  Iredell  Test  Farm.  Statesville,  N.  C.,  1920. 


two  tons  limestone  per 


8 


Extension  Circular  No.  136 


The  soils  of  Western  North  Carolina  are  nearly  all  deficient  in 
phosphoric  acid.  It  is  well  known  that  this  plant  fo-od  must  be  sup¬ 
plied  if  crop  yields  are  to  be  satisfactory.  This  is  especially  true  ot 
red  clover,  which  when  inoculated  can  use  nitrogen  from  the  air, 
but  not  unless  it  has  phosphoric  acid  to  go  with  the  nitrogen.  There¬ 
fore,  red  clover  should  be  well  supplied  with  phosphoric  acid. 

Clover  feeds  heavily  on  potash.  One  ton  of  red  clover  hay  contains 
more  potash  than  a  ton  of  8-2-2  fertilizer.  Because  most  soils  in 
Western  North  Carolina  show  a  high  content  of  potash,  little  or  none 
is  used  for  clover.  However,  it  often  happens  that  while  there  is 
plenty  of  potash  in  the  soil,  not  enough  is  available  at  one  time  to  sup¬ 
ply  a  heavy  feeder  like  red  clover. 

When  muriate  of  potash  is  selling  around  $50  per  ton  it  would  gen¬ 
erally  pay  to  use  40  to  50  pounds  per  acre.  This  would  cost  $1.00  to 
$1.25.  In  place  of  50  pounds  of  muriate  of  potash  (50  percent  pot¬ 
ash),  200  pounds  of  kainit  (12.5  percent  potash)  or  125  pounds 
manure  salt  (20  percent  potash)  may  be  used  with  equally  good 
results. 

“Black-jack”  lands  are  so  deficient  in  potash  that  clover,  soybeans, 
cotton  and  corn  often  rust  or  “french”  when  grown  on  them.  At 
least  300  pounds  of  kainit  should  be  used  on  such  soils. 

Where  red  clover  is  sown  on  wheat  in  the  spring,  a  good  system  of 
fertilization  for  both  crops  is  as  follows : 

2,000  pounds  (or  more)  ground  limestone  per  acre  before  sowing 
wheat. 

300-400  pounds  16  percent  acid  phosphate  per  acre  when  wheat  is 
sown. 

100  to  200  pounds  acid  phosphate  and  40  to  50  pounds  muriate  of 
potash  when  clover  is  sown  in  spring.  If  the  land  is  poor  add  50  to 
100  pounds  nitrate  of  soda  to  this  application,  or  top-dress  the  wheat 
with  stable  manure. 

It  is  important  to  apply  some  fertilizer  when  the  clover  seed  are 
sown,  as  this  will  be  a  great  help  toward  getting  a  stand. 

If  clover  is  to  be  sown  at  the  same  time  with  wheat,  fertilize  as 
follows : 

300  to  400  pounds  16  percent  acid  phosphate  and  40  to  50  pounds 
of  muriate  of  potash  at  sowing.  Add  25  to  50  pounds  nitrate  of  soda 
to  this  to  start  the  clover  if  the  land  is  poor,  and  50  to  75  pounds 
nitrate  of  soda  the  following  spring  if  needed.  The  next  spring  (the 
clover’s  second  year)  top  dress  the  clover  with  100  to  200  pounds  16 
percent  acid  phosphate  per  acre. 

Where  clover  is  sown  alone  use  200  pounds  16  percent  acid  phos¬ 
phate  and  50  pounds  muriate  of  potash  per  acre  when  sowing;  then 


9 


Growing  Red  Clover 


apply  100-200  pounds  16  percent  acid  phosphate  early  in  the  second 

spring. 

On  ‘'Black-jack’7  lands  the  amount  of  potash  should  be  increased  50 
percent  and  the  acid  phosphate  cut  in  half. 

SEED  FOR  PLANTING 

While  it  is  good  policy  to  plant  only  the  best  seed  of  all  crops,  this  is 
especially  true  of  red  clover  seed.  Dodder,  plantain,  and  many  other 
obnoxious  weeds  have  seed  nearly  the  same  size  as  red  clover.  These 
seed  are  often  found  in  clover  seed  offered  for  sale ;  sometimes  as  many 
as  100,000  of  them  to  the  pound.  When  these  weeds  are  once  sown 
they  will  remain  on  the  land  as  long  as  the  clover  does.  All  clover 
seed  should  be  tested  for  purity  and  germination,  and  if  found  unsat¬ 
isfactory,  should  be  rejected.  Reliable  seed  houses  will  send  out  sam¬ 
ples  of  seed  they  have  for  sale,  and  the  N.  C.  Department  of  Agricul¬ 
ture  will  test  these  free.  Buy  seed  only  from  reliable  firms,  and  buy 
the  best  they  have  to  offer.  They  will  cost  more  per  bushel  than  low 
grades,  but  less  for  each  pound  of  actual  viable  red  clover  seed. 

The  second  crop  of  clover  makes  most  of  the  seed,  and  North  Caro¬ 
lina  growers  sometimes  secure  their  seed  by  cutting  and  threshing  this 
crop.  Home  grown  seed  are  likely  to  contain  more  seed  seeds  than 
commercial  seed.  This  is  because  they  come  from  fields  where  there 
are  too  many  weeds,  and  because  they  are  seldom  properly  cleaned. 
The  ordinary  clover  huller  does  not  separate  the  weed  seeds  from  the 
clover  seeds.  After  threshing,  the  seed  should  be  recleaned  with  a 
special  seed  cleaner.  Do  not  attempt  to  save  clover  seed  from  fields 
that  are  not  free  of  weeds.  Remember,  also,  when  the  first  crop  is  cut 
for  hay  and  the  second  for  seed,  that  the  soil  has  been  depleted  instead 
of  improved. 

SOWING  THE  SEED 

In  sowing  the  clover  in  the  fall  the  usual  dry  weather  that 
prevails  for  several  weeks  must  be  reckoned  with,  as  well  as  the  winter 
freezes.  After  the  land  is  plowed  the  land  should  then  be  harrowed  well 
several  times  before  sowing,  so  as  to  make  a  fine  seed  bed  and  one  that 
will  conserve  moisture.  The  seed  should  be  sown  early  enough  to  make 
a  good  root  system  before  cold  weather.  Otherwise,  freezing  of  the 
soil  may  lift  the  young  plants  out  of  the  ground,  which,  of  course  would 
kill  them.  On  the  other  hand,  hot  weather  will  ruin  the  young  plants 
if  sown  too  early.  September  15  to  October  15  is  a  desirable  time  for  iaV 
sowing  of  red  clover  alone.  Clover  sown  in  the  spring  must  be  put  in 
late  enough  to  avoid  severe  freezing,  which  will  kill  the  plants  when 
very  young;  and  early  enough  to  let  them  take  hold  well  before  hot, 
dry  weather  of  summer.  On  an  average,  between  March  10  and  April 


10 


Extension  Circular  JSTo.  136 


10  will  be  safe.  There  is  always  plenty  of  moisture  at  this  time  of 
year. 

Success  in  securing  a  stand  of  clover  is  greatly  influenced  by  the 
way  the  seed  are  sown,  as  well  as  the  time.  Formerly  it  was  recom¬ 
mended  to  sow  when  the  ground  was  heaved  up  by  a  freeze,  or  simply 
to  sow  the  seed  and  harrow  or  roll  them  in.  Fifteen  pounds  of  seed 
per  acre  was  the  standard  rate.  More  recent  experience,  however, 
has  taught  that  a  grain  drill  with  a  clover  seeding  attachment  will  do 
better  work.  With  it,  the  seed  are  more  evenly  spaced  and  covered 
better,  so  that  each  seed  has  a  better  chance  to  grow.  Many  leading 
farmers  claim  that  with  the  grain  drill  they  need  only  half  as  many 
seed  to  get  a  stand  as  when  sowing  by  hand.  Instead  of  fifteen 
pounds,  they  sow  seven  or  eight  pounds  per  acre.  Clover  seed  are 
always  high  in  price,  so  that  at  this  rate  the  seeding  attachment  would 
soon  pay  for  itself. 

There  are  two  types  of  seeders  in  use.  One  kind  drops  the  seed  just 
ahead  of  the  drill  discs,  and  the  other  delivers  the  seed  into  the  grain 
spouts.  When  sowing  clover  the  drill  must  be  so  adjusted  as  not  to 
cover  the  seed  too  deep.  This  may  be  done  by  releasing  the  springs 
that  bear  upon  the  discs.  A  special  clover  drill  is  on  the  market, 
which  is  said  to  require  even  less  seed  than  the  seeding  attachment. 
This  might  be  a  profitable  investment  for  large  growers. 

Some  farmers  mix  clover  seed  with  fertilizer,  and  sow  them  together, 
using  the  grain  drill.  They  claim  that  this  practice  gives  good  results. 

SOME  METHODS  OF  SOWING 

On  livestock  and  dairy  farms,  red  clover  is  sometimes  sown  alone  in 
the  fall  on  specially  prepared  ground.  The  clover  gets  an  early  start 
in  this  way,  and  will  make  a  good  cutting  of  hay  the  first  year,  in 
addition  to  the  two  crops  during  the  second  year.  It  will  also  afford 
some  pasturage  during  the  spring  and  fall.  It  is  also  sown  with  wheat 
or  other  grain  in  the  fall.  Some  growers  report  better  success  in 
sowing  clover  alone  than  in  this  way.  Wheat  should  not  be  sown 
before  October  10  or  15  on  account  of  the  Hessian  fly,  and  this  date 
is  rather  late  for  clover.  Still  another  way  is  to  sow  the  clover  in  the 
spring  on  land  where  small  grain,  usually  wheat,  is  already  growing. 
Under  these  conditions  the  clover  will  make  little  growth  the  first 
year,  unless  the  land  is  fertile.  A  cutting  of  weeds  containing  some 
clover  is  secured  late  in  the  summer.  This  has  value  as  a  low  grade 
roughage,  but  the  main  purpose  in  mowing  the  weeds  is  to  prevent 
them  going  to  seed,  to  allow  the  clover  more  room  to  grow,  and  to  get 
them  out  of  the  way  of  the  next  year’s  hay  crop.  However,  we  have 
the  advantage  of  not  having  to  prepare  the  land  for  the  clover,  but 
simply  to  sow  it.  Also,  we  get  a  crop  of  grain  the  first  year  to  make 


Growing  Red  Clover 


11 


up  for  small  returns  from  the  clover.  Many  farmers  grow  wheat  and 
clover  continuously  on  the  same  land,  depending  on  the  clover  to  re¬ 
seed  itself.  The  great  disadvantage  of  this  system  is  that  the  field 
is  no-t  planted  in  a  cultivated  crop.  Weeds  become  more  abundant 
every  year,  and  finally  kill  out  the  clover. 

In  the  Coastal  Plain  Section,  red  clover  may  he  grown  on  the 
heavier  soils  by  sowing  between  corn  or  cotton  rows  in  the  fall.  It 
should  be  lightly  harrowed  with  a  cultivator,  just  as  crimson  clover 
is  treated.  It  will  give  abundant  yields  of  hay  for  two  years. 


CURING  THE  HAY 

For  the  best  hay,  clover  should  be  cut  when  just  past  full  bloom. 
The  hay  should  be  allowed  to  wilt,  then  should  be  raked  into  winrows. 
The  curing  should  be  done  in  the  winrow  or  in  the  cock.  By  this 
method  most  of  the  leaves  will  remain  on  the  plants,  increasing  the 
nutritive  value,  and  the  color  and  aroma  of  the  hay  will  be  better. 
When  clover  hay  is  cured  on  the  ground  where  it  falls,  most  of  the 
leaves  become  brittle,  and  will  fall  off  in  handling. 

ROTATIONS  WITH  RED  CLOVER 

A  few  good  rotations  using  red  clover  for  hay  and  soil  improvement 
are  as  follows : 

No.  1. 

1st  year :  Com,  with  cowpeas  or  soybeans  in  the  same  row  or  in 
alternate  rows  with  the  corn.  Wheat,  oats,  or  rye  sown  in 

fall. 

2nd  year :  Wheat,  oats,  or  rye,  with  red  clover. 

3rd  year :  Red  clover,  first  crop  for  hay,  second  for  soil  improve¬ 
ment. 

No.  2. 

1st  year :  Corn,  followed  by  rye  or  crimson  clover. 

2nd  year :  Rye  or  crimson  clover  turned  under. 

Soybeans  or  cowpeas,  used  for  hay  or  seed. 

Wheat,  oats  or  rye  sown  in  fall. 

3rd  year :  Wheat,  oats,  or  rye,  with  red  clover. 

4th  year:  Red  clover. 

Note : — Soybeans  may  be  planted  in  the  corn  if  desired. 

No.  3. 

1st  year :  Corn,  with  cowpeas  or  soybeans. 

2nd  year:  Cotton,  wheat,  oats,  or  rye  sown  in  fall. 

3rd  year :  Wheat,  oats,  or  rye,  with  red  clover. 

4th  year :  Red  clover. 


12 


Extension  Circular  No.  136 


No.  4. 

1st  year : — Corn  with  soybeans  or  eowpeas. 

2nd  year :  Cotton,  followed  by  rye  as  a  cover  crop. 
3rd  year:  Soybeans  or  eowpeas. 

Wheat,  oats  or  rye  in  fall. 

4th  year :  Wheat,  oats,  or  rye  with  red  clover. 

5th  year :  Red  clover. 


No.  5. 


1st  year:  Corn,  followed  by  red  clover  in  fall. 

2nd  year  :  Red  clover. 

3rd  year :  Red  clover,  second  crop  turned  under  for  wheat. 
4th  year :  Wheat,  followed  by  soybeans,  or  eowpeas  for  soil 
improvement. 


No.  6. 

(For  heavy  lands  in  the  Coastal  Plains — well  drained) 

1st  year:  Corn,  with  soybeans. 

Oats  sown  in  fall. 

2nd  year :  Oats,  followed  by  soybeans  or  eowpeas. 

3rd  year:  Cotton,  red  clover  sown  in  cotton  middles  in  fall. 
4th  year  :  Red  Clover. 

5th  year  :  Red  Clover. 


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